Another ancestress who endured difficulties

A repost about the Bass family of Texas, my great grandmother, Bettie (Elizabeth) Bass Rogers.

An edited version from my post on Saturday, December 14, 2013

My grandfather's mother was Elizabeth "Bettie" Bass Rogers.  She was born in Old Waverly, San Jacinto County, Texas mid-February 1860 based upon her parents listing her as 5-1/2 months old on the 1860 census in Walker County, Texas (interviewed on July 31, 1860.)  The original document shows her father Richard Bass as 40, and his wife 35, but the transcriptionist mis-read his age as 20.  It does have a correction through it by pen on the original, so that's understandable.  Bette was to have 10 siblings both older and younger. Her mother was Mary Elizabeth (Mae) Powell Bass (1825-1871) who I recently featured on this blog Here.

Her father Col. Richard Bass lived through the Civil War, as a confederate soldier. (See HERE)

Col. Richard Bass headstone

Her early years in Walker County Texas on a farm (according to the 1860 census her father was a farmer) also had cousins as well as older siblings nearby.  Her household also had a teenage cousin living with them, Emily W. Traylor, 16. Sister Julia A. was 18, brother James M. was 16, and sister Nancy C. was 7.  All her older siblings were born in Louisanna, but Bettie was born in Texas.  Her mother, Mary A. Powell Bass, also had family nearby; the next family listed on the census are the Powells, with 69 year old James M as head of the family. Nancy J. Powell was 36, John T. Powell was 27, and James E. Powell was 4 months old, and there was also cousin Nancy E. Traylor, age 11 living with them.

I spent hours one night looking at the Traylor, Powell, Bass connection.  How did it happen that the Traylor girls were living with a Bass family and a Powell family?  Well, as most of you probably have already figured out, their mother had died, and they were raised by her cousins...one was Bettie's mother, Mary Powell Bass, and one was Nancy J. Powell.  Mary Powell Bass's mother was Nancy Jones Traylor Powell, so they had a grandmother in common..

Mary Ann Elizabeth Powell Bass headstone

But back to Bettie Bass. In the 1870 census for Walker County, Texas, the county had grown from early settlement and the Civil War was over.  Much probably looked very different from the time of 1860, but all we have in a Census record are names and ages, and where people were born, and sometimes where their parents were born.  Thus the migrations of families can be traced.

Downtown Huntsville 1870s

By 1870 Richard Bass was a merchant rather than a farmer, now in the town of Huntsville, Texas.  Bettie now had 3 younger sisters, Ella, (9) Minnie (7) and Mary (5).   Her sister Sarah is 16.  Wait a minute, she had an older sister named Nancy C. who had been 7 in the previous census.  How could her name have changed that much?  There's no answer offered.  The oldest siblings are no longer at home, Julia A. and brother James M. Bass. Emily Traylor is now 26 and still living with them. I wonder if she had some kind of disability...a thought which just struck me, but since she hasn't married by then, maybe.

Downtown Huntsville in the 1870s

Bettie's marriage was in Willis, Montgomery County, Texas, on Dec. 14, 1876, when she was 16, a Thursday evening with the marriage performed by Rev. D. S. Snodgrass, according to Ancestry.com.  She married William Sanford Rogers, age 26, but he only lived another 3 years after their marriage.  William Sanford was known as W. Sam, according to his son, my grandfather. W. Sam Rogers had been born in Walker County, Texas, but in 1870 had been living with his sister-in-law Lucy Gibbs Rogers, in Louisiana.

Women's Clothing 1870s, not Bettie Bass Rogers

And then he married Bettie in Willis Texas. Perhaps the railroad coming into Willis gave some incentive for the family to move to Willis, and their 2 children were born there.  My grandfather George Rogers was born Aug 28, 1877, and his sister Annie Lou Gibbs Rogers was born March 10, 1879.  Their father died May 29, 1879 and is buried in Huntsville, Texas.

Willis became a community when the Great Northern Railroad decided to run a track from Houston to Chicago, and the Willis brothers donated their land in 1870 to the railroad. Willis grew in population after the trains began to travel through the town. There were hotels, dry good stores, and many other successful businesses in the 1870s and 1880s. The tobacco industry played a vital role in Willis' growth and development during that time. Other cash crops of cotton, watermelons, and tomatoes were an important part of the economy through the years. The timber industry, which still plays a role in Willis' economic growth, has been its most stable economic engine for over one hundred years.  (Wikipedia)

The next census record of 1880 included the 19 year old widow, Bettie Rogers and her two children, living still in Willis, Texas, without any reported means of support.  She is listed as head of the household. (There's no 1890 census available.)

By 1900 Census (taken June 6) the small family is living in Galveston, Texas, with Bettie now age: 46; a widowed head of household, address 1828 Church St,  living with son, George Elmore Rogers age 22, and daughter, Annie Lou Gibbs Rogers age 20.  (George would become my grandfather.) Had they moved there closer to the 1880 census? Or perhaps just before the 1900 census? Nobody knows. George was 22 by the 1900 census, so it's very likely he's been helping support his mother and sister for at least the last 5 years. The city of Galveston definitely offered more opportunities for a young man's employment than living on a farm.

In 1900 B. Rogers lists her birthday as May of 1954, making her 46 years old. That census also has a servant living with them, Black, Marie Williams, age 23, as well as a "roomer" named Henry Runge (though listed as Runge, Henry) age 40, a German. But the poor census taker has listed his birth year also a 1854 like Bettie's...so we wonder if he's not 46 like she is. Later I've decided she wasn't born in 1854 because a sister had been born that year...but of course any of these records are subject to being updated.

A short aside to refer back to the huge hurricane of 1900, as described a bit in my blog here.  The family survived it, and I don't know any details about their lives during and after it.  My cousin has said that my grandfather helped clean up all the bodies following the storm. I would imagine every able-bodied male helped with the clean-up. Then in 1905 my grandfather got married.  His sister Annie Lou married in 1906. 

There was no mention of his mother or sister attending his ceremony, which was held at the bride's home in Galveston, as recorded in detail in the society page of the Galveston Daily News. Other of my family members have said that the bride's family was against the marriage, but that's the kind of information that never gets written in records. However, to not have the mother or sister of the groom mentioned as attending, nor being part of the wedding, does support that theory.

Published June 7, 1905

So the next report about Bettie Rogers is a reference on my grandfather's WW I draft card in 1918, where he gives her as his nearest relative, (and not his wife of 13 years.)  Bettie is living at 22nd and L in Galveston, Texas.

Then the census of 1920 (taken Jan. 8) lists Bettie Rogers "Age: 58; Marital Status: Widowed;  Relation to Head of House: Mother-in-law," living with daughter, Annie Lou Wilson and her husband Patrick Wilson and Bettie's three grandchildren, still in Galveston.

On July 17, 1924, at age 64, Bettie Bass Rogers died, as was printed in the Galveston city directory of that year. She was buried in Huntsville TX, according to her death certificate. Her son in law, Pat Wilson, knew who her father had been, but not her mother, in providing information for the death certificate. The certificate lists cause of death as "chronic myocarditis and pulmonary oedema," and her birthdate as Feb. 12, 1860, (rather than 1846).

My grandfather (born 1877) wrote in 1954, of having a Rogers/Ross guardian (an aunt and uncle) that had charge of himself and his sister.  I always assumed Bettie died close to the same time as her husband, after her daughter was born in 1879.  But the guardian doesn't seem to have had the 2 Rogers children in his household in any available census.

The guardian was J. Elmore Ross, whose wife Alice Louella Rogers Ross, was W. Sam's sister. The Ross household in 1880 included a Rogers spinster sister, who taught music. The next available census of 1900 includes a "sister-in-law" named Tawry T Rogers, age 48, but with different parents than Alice Louella and the spinster music teacher! So she probably married into the Rogers family.  I've never heard of her before, so there's a bookmark on future finding out who she was!

Bettie Bass' date of marriage was Dec. 14, 1876  to William Sanford Rogers in Willis, TX, with Rev. D. S. Snodgrass officiating.  Rev. Snodgrass also married the J.E. Ross couple on Jan 18, 1876.

Bettie's birthdate is garbled through various years on census reports, which might have been her own doing.  She didn't follow the tradition of going to live with relations, rather she moved with her young family to a new cosmopolitan city, Galveston. There were limited ways a widow could support her family, becoming a seamstress, or to take in boarders, or selling her skills otherwise. Most census records indicate she was "keeping house." She did have a "roomer" in the 1900 census.

My conclusion about my great grandmother is that she became a bit bohemian in a port town before the turn of the twentieth century. Life had dealt her cards which were difficult for a woman at that time. She may have tried to pass as younger at some times in her life. She may have avoided another marriage by being supported by man who was already married. She definitely seems to have had a life which was on the more shady side of society than the church-going public, those who wrote records of births, marriages and deaths for all to see.

My aunts and uncles Bass - a journey with questions!

Note from the author:
This blog was recorded as I did the research, thus there are some surprises, and some things that I had to correct as I went along.  All in all, about 2-3 things are new and make me feel good, and at least one is new and leaves a lot of questions.

I have such a satisfaction when I can add the details of a relative's life to my Ancestry data.
I started looking at my great grandmother Elizabeth "Bettie" Bass Rogers' sisters and brothers.  Since I  discovered the youngest sister was actually a sister of other folks named Mary Mason (married to a Bass), I wanted to know about these pioneers of Texas, who were really my relatives.

1) The first one, Julia A. Bass Barton (1841–1899) was born in (probably Perry) Alabama. But before she was a year old, her family (Col. Richard and Mary Ann (Mae) Powell Bass) moved to Union Parish in northern Louisiana.   She moved with her family again to Walker County Texas between 1854 and 1860.  She didn't marry until she was 28, to John Matilda Barton, in 1869. 

John Matilda Barton

Perhaps the Civil War interfered with her romantic life.  He had a son from his first marriage (wife died when son was about 6 mos old.) Julia and John Barton had a son and two daughters. They had moved upon marrying to Milam County, Texas, which is where Julia died at age 57-8.

2) The next sibling to be born was James M. Bass Sr , who (on Ancestry) had no date or place of death...though many census reports included him with his family.  But after doing a search to no avail, I looked a bit at the census reports of his wife, who (as often is the case) outlived him.  This was the excitement of my day!

By the time I was done, I had his approximate death date from a pension request from his widow, for his service in the Confederacy.

James M. Bass Sr. - Birth 05 DEC 1842, Union Parish, Louisiana, Death sometime in 1907  Harris County, Texas.  He married when he was 28, in 1870 in Walker County, TX to Laura A. Cunningham Bass, 1844–1924.  They had 5 children, of whom at least 3 lived to adulthood.  Richard Clarence Bass became a dentist.
 
The 1880 census of Walker County lists Laura A. and probably J.M her husband, living with his father-in-law.

J.D. Cuningham   57  Farmer, Head of household

M.A. Cuningham  51 housekeeping, wife

L.A. Bass              35  daughter (this must be Laura A. Bass, James M.'s wife)

John Bass              32  son  (not sure who this was) farmer

J.D. Bass               28 son farmer (who?)

G.M. Bass             14 son  at school (too old to be Laura and JD's son?)      

J.M. Bass              37 son-in-law merchant (probably Laura's husband James b. 1842)

J.N. Bass               8  son (s. of Laura and J. M. Bass, James M. Bass Jr, born in 1872)

R.C. Bass              6  son (s. of Laura and J. M. Bass, Richard Clarence Bass b. 1873)

T.O. Bass               1 son (s. of Laura and J. M. Bass, Thomas O. Bass b. 1874)

I admit to wondering where the Cunningham's own children had gone.


The earlier 1870 list of the Cunningham census report for Walker County say this:

James Cunningham	47 life insurance agent
Margaret Cunningham	41 keeping house
Laura Cunningham	25 at home
James Cunningham	17 at school
Samuel Cunningham	12  "
Edgar Cunningham	7   b. in Tx
Greeville Cunningham	4   b. in Tx

There's a reason (see down below) why I'm trying to figure out who were Cunninghams and who lived together...

By the size of the monument for Laura Cunningham Bass I imagine her children were well off.  She died 11 Mar 1924 (aged 79) in Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, and is buried in Fairlawn Cemetery. Oklahoma City, OK.  The monument also holds her son James' remains, as well as his wife, and children.  (I don't know if her husband James is buried there or not.)

The next 4 Bass siblings of Great-grandmom Bettie Bass have places of birth and general dates, but I don't have much information about their lives.

3) Ellen Bass, born in 1845 in Louisiana, was part of the family in the 1850 census. But by the 1860 census in Walker County Texas, where the Bass parents (Col. Richard and Mae) are farmers next to her Powell parents, there is no Ellen in the family. 

4)  John H. Bass was born about 1851, no place given. Not on any census reports of the family. But he's listed in Ancestry sites without any primary source.

5) Nancy E. Bass was born in 1853 in Louisiana. She is on the 1860 census as being 7 years old, in Texas. She is not on the 1870 census. 

The 1870 Census. This is where it gets a bit weird. Confusing? There's now a 16 year old Sarah Bass living in the Richard Bass household! Older son James is still living with them, but is listed below the 2 servants...he's now 27 and employed as a dry goods clerk (and this is taken in August 1870, the same year he married). But his wife Laura Cunningham Bass isn't listed. (She is on the Cunningham household for this census.)

6) Susan (or Sarah?) is listed in the 1870 census, being born in 1854 by that age given on the census.  Born in LA. No other information about this person.  Of course you're thinking Nancy E. changed her name to Susan (Sarah.) But neither of them continued to have any records.

An old plantation house, not one owned by my family as far as I know

7) My great grandmother, Elizabeth "Bettie" BASS ROGERS Birth 12 FEB 1860, Old Waverly, San Jacinto, TX  Death 17 JULY 1924, Galveston, Galveston, TX.  I just celebrated her birth HERE.

8) Ella Bass, born around 1861 in Texas, appears on Census of Walker County TX in 1870 as a 9 year old.  No other information on her.  And of course not to be confused with Ellen born 1845 who also disappeared.  I'm afraid these children all died.

9) Martha E. "Mattie Bass Cunningham. BIRTH MAY 1863 • Walker County, Tx, DEATH 08 JAN 1929  San Antonio, TX. The following information is on Ancestry sites, and in a minute you'll see how sometimes they just fall apart.

Again the 1870 census record of the family has names of children that don't compute with other records.  (No Mattie, no Martha E.) Children are listed in age order...Sarah, 16; Elizabeth 10; Ella 9; Minni 7; Mary 5.

Martha E. "Mattie" Bass married James Durrah Cunningham Sr, (1852-1925) the younger brother of Laura Cunningham Bass who married our James Bass (see above number 2.)    Mattie was listed in many census and city directory records (finally an Auntie who was documented! - well, second Aunt.)

The 1880 Census of Walker County has her listed as a 16 year old boarder, but the household name is missing as it is on the previous sheet, but she is "at school."  And her name is given as M. E. Bass. But not for long, because she married J.D. Cunningham in 1881, according to the later 1910 census data which gives information of "married 28 years." They had 3 children, all of whom lived to adulthood, and one lived until 1974.

In the 1900 census of Huntsville TX, she is listed as Mattie E Cunningham.  (There were very few 1890 census records that escaped the fire in the Library of Congress.) In 1910 she was Mattie E. Cunningham in Houston TX. In 1920 she is Martha and lists herself at 56 as a real estate agent, while James Cunningham, her husband is an insurance agent...in Houston.   

In the Houston 1911-12 city directory, James and Mattie are listed living at 111 York, and he is a mailing clerk genl, at the passenger depot for the T & N O R R. Their son, James Jr. is also a clerk and living with his parents.  And of course in the 1919 Houston City Directory, Mattie is listed as widow of James D.  But James D. Cunningham III, their son, is listed in the same directory as a teller at City Bank and Trust, and married to Willa. I love how little tidbits come to light which aren't offered as Ancestry information...but there the son was listed on the same directory.

James died in 1925, so by the 1930 census of Houston, Mattie is head of household, widowed, no longer working, and owns a home worth $2000.  Before his death the couple were listed in the Houston City Directory as agents of Great So Life Insurance.

Mattie died in January 1929, but is still the property owner listed in the 1930 Houston census.   

Interestingly the son who lived until 1974, lists (at Find A Grave) his mother as Mattie Ratliff Cunningham Robinson...not Bass. This listing says she remarried after the death of James Cunningham.  

The only document (primary source) saying that James Cunningham and Mattie were married is the 1910 census where they list the number of years they've been married, thus the event happened in 1881.  But nothing says what her maiden name had been. So technically this could have also been Mattie Ratliff.

And there IS a Ancestry document of a marriage between J. D. Cunningham and Mattie Ratliff, Dec 22, 1881, in Grimes County TX, based on Texas county documents.

There's also a record of a marriage of J. D. Cunningham and a Miss M.E. Christian. How this connected to M. E. Bass is a bit of a stretch without any other documents.

J D Cunningham	Male
Marriage Date:	16 Dec 1884
Marriage Place:	Anderson, Texas, USA
Spouse:	M E Christain

So if Mattie Ratliff was James Cunningham's wife, all the information in Houston would be about her, not Mattie Bass.  The last time we heard about Mattie Bass was in Huntsville when she was a student boarder in the census of 1880, age 16.  So between being called M. E, and Mattie Bass, we know that is the girl who was sister to Bettie Bass Rogers.  We don't know that she was the wife of James Cunningham Sr.  

Oh, there was still at least one more younger sister!

10) Minnie Bass Zellner,  - Birth 29 FEB 1864 • Texas,  Death MAR 13, 1939 • Port Neches, Jefferson, TX  She was 7 when her mother died. And yes, she was listed on the (infamous) 1870 census of Walker County Texas, as a 7 year old, with 5 year old Mary also listed (who doesn't appear elsewhere.)  

Minnie married when she was 20 (1885) to Frances Edward Alexander Zellner (known as Frank). They had 3 sons and a daughter, and lived on several farms through their lives.  She lived until 1939, dying at 75.

Of the siblings who had death certificates, often they would give Richard Bass as their father, but they all gave "unknown" as their mother. Of course these were the adult children of the siblings. I just find it interesting, probably there was some great family secret that they all kept, or didn't know, about the mother of Bettie and her siblings.  It sure fits in with all the strange census listings of children.

11). As mentioned before, there was a Mary Bass listed in the 1870 census of Walker County TX.  She was listed as 5 years old.  So I've added her as a child of Richard and Mae Bass. Nobody has given any more information about her.

I would imagine Mother Mae Bass must have given some of the information about the children on the census reports.  Perhaps she cared for other people's children, as often is the case with families.  Perhaps she had a disability, maybe a speech impediment, or was otherwise incoherent.  This is following the suggestion of her own grandchildren not remembering her name on those death certificates.  But it also could have been a political stance, given the times of the Confederacy, the loss of the war, the reconstruction political turmoils.  Perhaps in the next year I'll learn more about them. It sure makes it hard to keep track of ancestors.